Lubricating apparatus



Nov. 14v 1939. P. FLETCHER LUBRIQATING APPARATUS Fild Jan. 1'?, 1958 FIG.|.

Patented Nov. 14, *1939" UNITEDy STATES 2,179,6zi PATENT OFFICE 2,179,621 LUBRIGATING APPARATUS Pierce Fletcher, St. Louis, Mo., yassigner to' .I Lincoln Engineering Company, St. Louis, Mo.,. a corporation of Missouri l Application January 1i, 193s, serial No. 185,349l

e claims. (c1. 221580) This invention relates to lubricating apparatus, and with regard to certain more specific features to lubricating pumps.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of a container for lubricant upon which is positioned a pump incorporating an operating mechanism which includes a handle, said handle being also adapted for use as a carrying means for said container; the provision of apparatus of the class described in which conversion from use of the handle for pumping to use as a` carrying handle is readily made by the hand of an operator that is used to carry the apparatus; and the provision of apparatus of the class described which is adapted automatically to convert the handle from its condition as a carrying handle to its condition as a pumping handle, merely by starting the pumping operation, and without further manipulation. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, features of construction, and arrangements of parts which .will be exemplified in the structures hereinafter described, and the scope of the app-lication of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated one of various possible embodiments of the invention:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus showing a handle in pumping condition;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail elevation showing certain'parts of Fig. l placed in position for making the handle a carrying handle;

Fig. 3 is a left-side elevation of Fig. 2; and,

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line ll-li of Fig. 2.

Similar reference characters indicate correspending parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1, there is shown at numeral I a lubricant container on the side of the head of which is a lubricant pump 3. The purpose of the pump is to withdraw lubricant from the container and deliver it from a suitable outlet. A filling point for the container is indicated at 5.

The pump is constituted by a four-bar linkage comprising a slider 'i reciprocating in a suitable stationary cylinder part 9 associated with the drum I. Pivoted to the rear of the part 9 is an oscillating link II. The pivot point for link II is shown at I3.

The link II is pivoted at its upper end I5 to a pump handle Il, the latter being articulated at I9 with the slider l. In' view of the above, it is clear that, if the handle Il is oscillated up and down, the slider l will be reciprocated in the part 9.

As shown in Fig. 3, the pivot pin carries at one side a cotter key ZI and its other end is formed' as a head 23 spaced from the link I I. In the space thus provided there is pivoted on the pin I3 a latch 25 which is spring pressed toward frictional -engagementwith the link I I by means of a spring 2l reacting from saidhead 23. The latch 25 includes a downwardly opening notch 29, and a laterally formed thumb piece 3I. The part 3| may be operated by the thumb of a hand which grasps the `handle at its free carrying region 2. A lug 4 determines the free carrying region 2. The free carrying region, as shown, is substantially above the center of gravity of the container. This region is free of obstructions which would otherwise interfere with facile grasping of the handle for carrying purposes. This results in the provision of unobstructed means for carrying the container in a substantially symmetrically suspended manner without awkwardness, the handle I'I under Vsuch conditions being substantially horizontal (see Fig. 2).

As shown in Fig. 4, the articulating pin I9 (between links 'I and Il) is also held in place by cotter key 33 on one side, and on the other side is a shoulder 35 and a spaced head 3i. The notch 29 is adapted to cooperate slidably with theshoulder 35.

If the link 25 be manually pushed to the position shown in Fig. 2 and the shoulder 35 socketed in the notch 29, then the handle Il may be grasped and the container I lifted thereby. At this time, the latch 25` functions to prevent ful'- ther upward movement oi the handle Il, and the handle I'I becomes a carrying handle.

I When the operator has again set down the container I, it is only necessary to push down the handle I1, as in the case of starting and pumping operation, in order to have the shoulder 35 leave the notch 29 and move back to clear. Or, the operator may prefer to push the latch 25 further back, as shown in Fig. l. Thereafter, continuous pumping is not interfered with by the latch 25.

One of the advantages of the invention is the simplicity of the structure for carrying out the functions described. VFor instance, the use of the common center for swinging the latch 25 and the link II, together with the use of the common center at the pin I9 for pivoting the handle to the slider 1 and for latching, all contribute to a simplification of structure.

The laterally extending handle which oscillates in a vertical plane above the container by very simple means is thus convertible from a pump handle to a carrying handle, and vice versa.

In View of the above, it will be seen that the several objects oi the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As many chang-es could be made in carrying out the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In apparatus of the class described a con'- tainer, a pumping mechanism thereon having a reciprocating plunger and operating parts located substantially to one side of the center of gravity of the container, an operating and supporting handle extending laterally from said operating parts and across said center of gravity, said handle having an unobstructed lifting region substantially above said center of gravity to provide for grasping said handle for carrying the container in a substantially symmetrically suspended manner, and means for limiting the upward travel of the handle to a substantially horizontal carrying position when the reciprocating plunger is in a mid-position in its reciprocation.

2. In apparatus of the class described a container, a pumping mechanism lthereon having a reciprocating plunger and .operating parts located substantially to one side of the center of gravity of the container, an operating and supporting handle extending laterally from said operating parts and across said center of gravity, said handle having an unobstructed lifting region substantially above said center of gravity to provide for grasping said handle for carrying the container in a substantially symmetrically suspended manner, means for limiting the upward travel of the handle to a substantially horizontal carrying position when the reciprocating plunger is in a mid-position in its reciprocation, said handle having a Working movement below its carrying position, and a latch for the handle to maintain it in said position for carriage and adapted automatically to be opened upon downward movement of the handle from the carriage position, and means for holding the latch open until. it is manually relatched so that the handle may be moved above its carrying position.

3. In apparatus of the class described a container, a pumping mechanism thereon and having operating parts' located substantially at one side of the center of gravity of the container, an operating handle extending laterally from said operating parts and substantially across said center of gravity, said handle having a free and unobstructed lifting region substantially above said center of gravity to provide for grasping said handle for carrying the container in a substantially symmetrically suspended manner with the handle in a substantially horizbontal position, a latch adapted by a hand on the lifting region to be movedeither into a position-for latching the handle against movement or to an unlatched position, said handle being formed to extend ben yond the latching region to formV a part to be grasped for increased leverage upon pumping, a pin associated with the handle, said latch having a notch adapted to cooperate with said pin for latching andhbeing so formed that downward movement of the pin upon pumping automatically opens the latch for subsequent upward movement beyond said horizontal position.

4. In apparatus of the class described a container, a pumping mechanism thereon and having operating parts located substantially at one side of the center of gravity of the container, an operating handle extending laterally from said operating parts and substantially across said center of gravity, said handle having a free and unobstructed lifting region substantially above said center of gravity to provide for grasping said handle for carrying the container in a substantially symmetrically suspended manner with the handle in a substantially horizontal position, a latch adapted by a hand on the lifting region to be moved either into a position for latching the handle against movement or to an unlatched position, said han-dle being formed to extend beyond the latching region to form a part to be grasped for increased leverage upon pumping, a pin associated with the handle, said latch having a notch adapted to cooperate with said pin for latching and being so formed that downward movement of the pin upon pumping automatically opens the latch for subsequent upward movement beyond said horizontal position, and pivot means for the latch arranged so that when the latch is automatically opened it remains open and free of said pin until manually re-closed.

5. In apparatus or" the class described a container, a pumping mechanism thereon and having operating parts located substantially at one side of the center of gravity of the container, an operating handle extending laterally from said operating parts and substantially across said center of gravity, said handle having a free and unobstructed lifting region substantially above said center of gravity to provide for grasping said handle for carrying the container in a substantially symmetrically suspended manner with the handle in a substantially horizontal position, a latch adapted by a hand on the lifting region to be moved either into a position for latching the handle against movement or to an unlatched po sition, said handle being formed to extend beyond the latching region to form a part to be grasped for increased leverage upon pumping, a pin associated with the handle, said latch having a notch adapted to cooperate with said pin for latching and being so formed that downward movement of the pin upon pumping automatically opens the latch for subsequent upward movement beyond said horizontal position, and frictional pivot means for the latch whereby when the latch is automatically opened it remains open and free of said pin until manually re-closed.

6. In apparatus of the class described a container, a pumping mechanism thereon having operating parts located substantially at one side of the center of gravity of the container, an oscillaitng handle extending laterally from said operating parts and having a free and unobstructed lifting region substantially above said center of gravity to provide forgrasping said handle when horizontal for carrying the container in a subtantially symmetrically suspended manner, a pin on the handle, a frictionally pivoted latch having a notch adapted to cooperate with said pin to hold the handle horizontally iixed, said latch being formed to be reached by a hand on said free region of the handle and said notch being formed to move the latch into a disconnected position with respect to said pin upon incipient depression of the handle and until again manually connected.

PIERCE FLETCHER. 

